Middlebere, Dorset, 3rd January 2010

In the last 3 years since I have been back from living and working abroad, Middlebere is probably the place I have visited most, usually in winter with the hope of seeing (and trying to photograph) Hen Harrier. Some days you don't see them at all, some days you see them distantly but some days although you have to sit in freezing conditions for a while, you get lucky! Just a shame that this is still one of the most persecuted Raptors in the UK or maybe they wouldn't be so rare.

Gigrin Farm, Wales, December 28th 2009 Part 3

More shots from Gigrin Farm.

Gigrin Farm, Wales, December 28th 2009 Part 2

More shots from Gigrin Farm, on looking closer I noticed the raptor in the picture above, looked very like the Black Kite/ Asiatic Black Eared Kite that has turned up, from as yet unknown origin.

Gigrin Farm, Wales, December 28th 2009 Part 1

I had a couple of holiday days off work to take over the Christmas period, so I wanted to practice with my new camera, somewhere I was very likely to get good shots, so it had to be Gigrin Farm again!

The weather looked bad for every day I was off, so I nearly didn't go, but my mum said at the last minute if I went the next day she would come along, I didn't really want to do a 10hr round trip in the car by myself, so off we went!

For taking pictures of Red Kites this place is just so easy, turn up at the right time, point your lens in the right direction and there you go! Seriously though this has to be one of the best places in the UK for Wildlife photography, especially -like me, if you like Raptors.

Middlebere, Dorset, 20th December 2009

I had just about saved enough money to trade in and upgrade my camera, I decided I could allow my self to purchase it when I had achieved either of two work based objectives.

Unfortunately, I achieved this right before Christmas, which made me feel guilty spending so much money on my self!

Today was the first chance I got to go out with the new camera, I probably should have practiced on the local Ducks and Gulls first, but in the U.K if you get good light, sometimes you have to take a gamble. I had already read the manual for my new Canon 50D and set it to the same settings as my old Canon 400D, the Song Thrush shot was taken just before I got to the hide was the first picture taken with the new camera!. The male Hen Harrier had until a few days ago not previously not been seen in the area, since the windy, stormy weather we've had recently. just after I got there I had a quick glimpse before a closer flyby some 45 minuets later. The shots were OK, not as crisp as I would have liked, I could have used my auto focus a bit more, but didn't want to risk not getting a shot all together. My objective is to get the eye pin sharp, with a dot of light reflecting off it, then the subject and the picture comes alive! Maybe my standards are too high, but the great thing about wildlife photography is you can always take a better picture!

Blackbird, Goldfinch, Hen Harrier, End of October 2009.

The Blackbird was photographed at my parent's garden, as long as I moved slowly, it didn't mind me being there. The Goldfinch was at Middlebere and so was the OK picture of the male Hen Harrier which was taken from the hide and is the result of many hours on different days!

Cape May Point September 29th 2009. Part 2.

When this mornings migration rush had slowed, (see words and pictures from last blog) usually just after midday, we thought we would have a short walk around the reserve, the first thing we came across was a tagged (or banded) Monarch Butterfly, pack at the point, whilst everyone was looking skywards for Raptors a Great Egret literally walked right in front of us. Then just before we completed our short lap, a small falcon landed very near by - a Merlin, it allowed me to get a few shots, before flying off. When I checked my photo, I also saw that it had caught lunch, an unlucky Dragonfly was in its talons, it was looking for a quiet place to eat lunch, instead there was a guy wielding a big camera, so the Merlin had lunch on the wing like a Eurasian Hobby would. We had seen a few Merlins at the point, flying extremely fast, sometimes skimming the heads of people on the viewing platform, which drew a gasp! As well as counting and pointing out Migrating Raptors, volunteers would also educate, my favourite quote was about prey designing the predator; "Vultures fly very lazily because what they are looking for is already dead, whilst the Merlin flies like its just been shot out of a canon". Back at the Point again, migration had finished its busiest time, but some Raptors were still coming past, even more Ospreys, they had become common! We had to leave to return our hire bikes, as we got back to the road, I heard what sounded like Geese about to fly past, instead a family of Bald Eagles flew over the road, too quick for me to get a photo, the photo opportunity that got away, good reason to come back again to America to try again!